The 'What Are Your Favorite Albums of the Year' Thread

[Heretic]

Heretic's Top 25 Albums of 2011
Presented in a mannerly fashion

25. Machine Head - Unto the Locust

Having only listened to this a few times, I can't accurately judge my ranking of this, but the last few songs were really, really good.

24. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

A good, solid rock release, and much better than their previous offerings.

23. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math

This album was pretty good, and with more listens I feel like it will probably move up on the list. The title track is awesome.

22. The Human Abstract - Digital Veil

A solid release. Definitely lost appeal over time, though.

21. Red - Until We Have Faces

While I'm not a huge fan of more mainstream-rock sounding bands, this band isn't completely cliche, and for that, it gets a spot here. A few of the songs aren't really worth listening to, but overall it's a solid album.

20. Opeth - Heritage

Didn't like this at all at first, though it grew on me. I'm a fan of the first few tracks. Things seem to blend together towards the middle, though-- yet they end on a good note with Folklore and Marrow of the Earth. Interested to see what Opeth does next.

19. Vildhjarta - Masstaden

This album is dark, heavy, intense. Not many moments to breathe on this one, but it's still pretty awesome.

18. Maybeshewill - I Was Here for a Moment, Then I Was Gone

An amazing post rock album that doesn't fall into the staleness of the genre.

17. Bon Iver - Bon Iver, Bon Iver

A gorgeous album, full of lush instrumentation and a sound that wasn't explored at all on For Emma. I love the emotional aspect of this album, and, unlike most, really liked that 80s song that closes the album.

16. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

I feel slightly flamboyant putting this on my list, but I feel that way listening to it to so w/e. A fun, catchy pop album.

15. Symphony X - Iconoclast

A perfection of the sound of Paradise Lost, Iconoclast is a heavy, intense release. It definitely needs more progressive and slower moments, as "When All is Lost" is definitely the best song on this album.

14. Trivium - In Waves

While Shogun is still stronger than this album, In Waves is still a solid release, with some really good songs.

13. Protest the Hero - Scurrilous

Giving Rody the pen for this album was an odd decision, one that I feel like worked for the most part-- although I miss some of the storytelling aspect from the previous albums. This album is quite satirical in places, and it's very catchy. I miss the heavier vocals, though.

12. The Dear Hunter - The Color Spectrum (Complete Collection)

This collection of EPs is one of the best out there. The Green EP is my favorite thing TDH have ever released, and the other EPs are just as strong.

11. Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning

Deform to Form a Star. That is all.

10. Ever Forthright - Ever Forthright

I was a fan of Periphery's debut, and this album is similar to that in a lot of ways, just with a saxophone and better vocals. However, I feel like Periphery is going to surprise us all with their 2012 offerings, so for now, though I feel Ever Forthright's debut has been stronger, who knows.

9. Cloudkicker - Let Yourself Be Huge

Beacons was an album that I felt like didn't have a dull moment on it. LYBH continues that trend, albeit in a softer, more acoustically driven way. Overall, the album is very strong, and the closing title track is one of Sharp's best.

8. Scale the Summit - The Collective

Instrumental prog at its best.

7. Haken - Visions

While I liked Aquarius, it didn't strike me as a gem of the prog genre, despite being very nice. Visions, on the other hand, is absolutely fantastic, and shows the band tightening up their sound, perfecting it, and adding a new cohesiveness that was definitely needed. "Deathless" is my favorite song from the album, and probably my favorite by them in general.

6. Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues

Despite this being an EP, it still makes my list as one of the best releases of the year. "Lunar Wilderness" is perhaps one of their greatest songs yet, and the whole EP just has a space-y atmosphere to it.

5. August Burns Red - Leveler

I was incredibly impressed by the experimentation introduced on Constellations, and this release just took that further in some parts. While I'd like to see them tackle even more new terrain, this album is still great, "Salt & Light" being my favorite of the tracks.

4. Thrice - Major/Minor

"Words in the Water" is my favorite song of 2011, and the album that it's on is definitely one of the best things I've heard all year. While Beggars was amazing, this release just takes that sound and furthers it, even strips it down in a few places.

3. Mastodon - The Hunter

I really liked Crack the Skye, but this release took Mastodon from a band in my library to one of my absolute favorites. The album, as a whole, is just fun. Stargasm.

2. Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events

Though I wasn't as disappointed as some people with BC&SL, this release impressed me to no end. Definitely my third favorite album they've put out, behind I&W and SDOIT. Would have probably been even more well- received had the whole lolMikePortnoy drama not occured, but then we wouldn't have gotten this album, so all's well that ends well, or whatever.

1. Fair to Midland - Arrows and Anchors

Fables is one of my favorite albums ever, and the follow-up is right there with it. All of the songs are fantastic- "Short-Haired Tornado" being my favorite. "The Greener Grass" is also magnificent, and I definitely want them to do more longer songs in the future.

[Gorille85]

.

[Jirpo]

Wow very nice JR! And the rest of you too! These are a lot of fun to read!

[The King in Crimson]

I finally got my haul from cmdistro which has a few more 2011 releases (Leprous, Haken, Cynic, Riverside), so I want to wait before I post anything.

[Sigz]

1. Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction: Easily one Devin's best albums (in the top 3 alongside Addicted and Ziltoid), in short it's a fucking trip. Absurdly dense, psychotic as hell, and an amazing listen from start to finish. The only real weak spot to me are the really awkward vocal melodies at the beginning of The Mighty Masturbator.

2. Floex - Zorya: Man, this album came out of nowhere. Seth had been raving about it for ages, and I finally listened to it a month ago or so and have been obsessed with it since. The combination of acoustic instruments and gorgeously textural electronic work is beautiful, whimsical, and hypnotic.

3. Eisley - The Valley: Eisley's third album did not disappoint in any way, shape or form. Maintaining Eisley's tradition of fantastic songwriting coupled with gorgeous melodies, The Valley shows a much more mature side of the band in the lyrics, which deal with the broken relationships the band had been recovering from.

4. Fair to Midland - Arrows and Anchors: Man, this band probably writes the most consistently awesome choruses of any band out there today. Virtually every song on the album is both unique and catchy as hell, and Darroh's voice is one of the highlights of the band, from his soaring high voice to his absurdly epic growls.

5. Grayceon - All We Destroy: While their previous albums have been very good, Grayceon has truly come into their own with All We Destroy. While they maintain the intricate finger picked metal riffs, dense drumming, and damned heavy cello playing that's always been their trademark, they've really stepped their game up in the composition department. The highlight of the album is definitely 'We Can', an incredible 17 minute epic with a middle section that is one of my favorite sections of music from this year.

6. Above & Beyond - Group Therapy: For me the highlight discovery of 2011 was trance music, which has pretty much consumed my life for the last 9 months or so. Out of all the artists in the genre I've discovered, Above & Beyond is easily amongst the best, and moreover is a group that I feel a lot of non-EDM fans would still enjoy, as it avoids the cliche'd repetitive 'UNCE UNCE UNCE UNCE' sound that seems to turn a lot of people off from trance/EDM (dunno why, I fucking love it). Anyways, Group Therapy is a great album album all in all. It's lush, melodic, happy, and hypnotic, and I'd recommend that everyone give it a try, even if they're not normally a fan of "techno"*. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I7ZVfdn_0w

7. Necro Deathmort - Music of Bleak Origin: Another album that came out of nowhere, I had never heard of the group until I saw this album at #1 on Steven Wilson's AOTY list, where he described them as "Nine Inch Nails produced by Sunn O)))" - a description that had me immediately check them out. Music of Bleak Origin is an amazing fusion of drone metal and industrial elements. Acoustic drums provide rhythm to a dense tapestry of dirty electronics and distorted guitars in what is probably the darkest release on this list. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Bo4YFzXkL0

8. Steven Wilson - Grace for Drowning: While not as good as Insurgentes by any means, Grace For Drowning expands on Steven Wilson's solo outings by covering a huge range of styles, from the King Crimson Red-era progginess on songs like Sectarian to the dark industrial trip of Index. It's heavy, it's beautiful, and while it probably would have been better as a single disc, it's still a fantastic listen.

9. So Hideous, My Love... - To Clasp a Fallen Wish with Broken Fingers: Oh my, where to begin. Basically, take Explosions in the Sky, remove every once of happiness and hope from their music, mix in a healthy portion of hardcore, black metal, and general desperate anger along with some screaming and you have So Hideous, My Love. While post-rock has always had a general morose, melancholic feeling to it, this band has taken the genre and twisted it into a tempest of anger that's both unique and incredible. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z5hjK5bluU

10. The Human Abstract - Digital Veil: I was at first rather disappointed when The Human Abstract released the first single, however after some more listens their new sound (and singer) really clicked with me, and after hearing the album proper I was sold. While they maintain the mathy, neo-classical metalcore that had on Nocturne, THA has updated their sound with a more death-y singer and quite a bit more metal. It's a great sound, coupled with the band's solid and at at times intricate composition you've got a damned good prog metalcore album, and one that stands above the other releases from this year (Protest the Hero, I'm looking at you).


*I swear to god, the next person who says "ew I don't like techno" when I tell them I like trance is going to die a horrible, horrible death.

[skydivingninja]

Awkward melodies at the beginning of the Mighty Masturbator?  Don't you mean the beginning of Planet of the Apes?

Also, I think Decon would be much better if Pandemic had been replaced by Ho Krll.  Its a bit more of a preparation song for the title track after the insanity that is Masturbator, and Pandemic just isn't that good.

[Sigz]

  yeah I do.

[glaurung]

As always, Sigz excels at being one classy motherfucker.

[Gorille85]

Hmm looks like I'll enjoy that Necro Deathmort album... I'll check it out!

[antigoon]

Top 10 Albums
1. The Dear Hunter - The Color Spectrum (Complete Collection)
2. Bright Eyes - The People's Key
3. Bon Iver - Bon Iver
4. Eisley - The Valley
5.  Devin Townsend - Ghost
6. The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
7. Death Cab For Cutie - Codes and Keys
8. Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
9. Mastodon - The Hunter
10. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

Honorable Mentions
Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming
Devin Townsend - Deconstruction
Childish Gambino - Camp (lol)
The Black Keys - El Camino
Foo Fighters -Wasting Light

Top 3 Songs
Bon Iver - Beth/Rest
M83 - Midnight City
The Black Keys - Lonely Boy

[jingle.boy]

I discovered a lot of music this year, but not a lot of music that was released this year.  As such, my list is pretty short.

1) Flaming Row - Elinoire.  It's criminal how unknown this is.  Absolutely incredible Prog Metal music.  Great collaboration of a lot of brilliant musicians, including Gary W from Shadow Gallery
2) Dream Theater - ADTOE.  Brilliant return.  Awesome balance between prog, and metal.
3) The Anabasis - Back From Being Gone.  See what Bosk and JR said.
4) Toby Hitchcock - Mercury's Down.  So nice to re-discover good amazing melodic rock.  I thought it had been mostly abandoned in the 90s.
5) The Magnificent - S/T.  As we all wait patiently (I can just see   raging) wait for Circus Maximus to record, it's nice to hear something from Michael Eriksen.
6) Work of Art - In Progress.  More with the Melodic Genre.

The last three are all from the label Frontier.  Nice set of artists they have there.

That's pretty much it for my 2011 finds.

[JRundquist]

My top 10 of 2011, Part 1: 20-11

20.) Anthrax- Worship Music

I will be the first guy here to always say Bush>>>Belladonna. I got into Anthrax during the Bush years, John Bush is my my kinda singer and We've Come For You All is their best album (haters gonna hate) That said. Belladonna and Anthrax in general stepped up their game on this one. I was fully expecting this one to go over like Chinese Democracy because of all the controversy surrounding it. I was happily mistaken. Killer thrash and Hard Rock are fully represented on this one. And I dare say one of the best Thrash Albums of 2011.

 

19.) Hotel Of The Laughing Tree- Terror And Everything After

One of the red-headed step children albums on this list, and it very well deserves to be in my top 20. These guys cover everything there is in Rock music, from Alternative to Hard Rock, to Folk Rock and everything in between. No two songs sound the same and overall...it's just a kickass Rock album. Metal purists, even you will admire the musicianship that goes in this album. It's too good to ignore just because it's not tr00 and kvlt.

 

18.) Primordial- Redemption at The Puritan's Hand

Having only discovered these guys this year. I'm pissed at myself for not finding out about them earlier. Primordial is the perfect Irish Folk Metal/Black Metal band. Mostly Blind Guardian style clean vocals with the occasional Black Metal backups or screams in verses. The music....HOLY FUCK....IT IS EPIC! If you love true evil heavy metal, this album is for you. I will give anything for Primordial to tour in 2012.....ANYTHING!

 

17.) Devin Townsend- Ghost

Devin Townsend is my musical god for a reason. He can be pure fucking metal, a prog Metal icon, a fake Punk, or in this case a folk Rock master. Those that know me will be shocked to see Ghost this low in my top 20. The biggest Reason being. I love this album to death, but Unless I need some meditation or a peaceful break/sleep. I can't listen to this album all the time. It's too peaceful to enjoy over and over again. As a Rock/Metal fan, peaceful music calms me down and it's great to sleep too (I mean that in a very good way) but for Ghost it proves that Devin can play anything he sets to mind to, and god damn, he created his second most beautiful album to date (Nothing tops Terria....ever!)

 

16.) Pagan's Mind- Heavenly Ecstasy

Pagan's mind is always going to be in one of these two categories: 1.) better then Dream Theater or 2.) Worse then Dream Theater. It's undeniable. There is a lot of similarities. DT will forever be my favorite band, but Pagan's Mind....it's idiotic to ignore these guys. They have the perfect Progressive Power Metal touch. On Par with Symphony X and a fuckload better then Circus Maximus. Eyes of Fire is one of my favorite songs of 2011 for a reason...just listen to this masterpiece of a song, and you'll understand why. It hit me like a ton of bricks and does to this day.

 

15.) Opeth- Heritage

Opeth have really polarized themselves from the Death Metal scene by releasing their 2nd album without Growls or Death Metal of any kind with Heritage. It is a pure 70's Prog album with lots of elements of Folky and and acoustic Music as well. Songs like Slither show they are still just as heavy as ever. I will admit it does get boring in the 3rd quarter of the album, but the rest of the album is great. and well worthy of a top 20 spot. Nothing in top 10, but Top 20 for sure.

 

14.) Wolves In The Throne Room- Celestial Lineage

Many people say WITTR are the band responsible for the new wave of Atmospheric Black Metal. It's really hard to disagree. They do everything that I love in Black Metal. Just as evil as any Emperor or Darkthrone but enjoyable to any Post Rock/Post Metal fan.I Dare say this is their most Epic album to date. This album is one of the best Black Metal albums to be released in recent time. Hipsters love this style....and even that doesn't drive me away from the great music behind it. I hope one day I'll get to see them live.

 

13.) Leprous- Bilateral

Easily one of the best Prog albums to ever be released. And the only reason why this isn't higher is because of the lack of time I have been able to digest this album before having to of made my top 20 list/Radio show. Every song is killer from start to finish, my personal favorite being the album closer, Painful Detour. Leprous is also the current backing band for Ihsahn. It's a great combination for sure. If you like your Progressive Metal with a bit of Ihsahn style's Norwegian Blackened metal, and quirky as hell. This is the album for you. Don't ignore this amazing album!

 

12.) Fair To Midland- Arrows And Anchors

Fair to Midland can do no wrong. Some the say the production isn't the best on this album, but I always look past production and focus on the songs at hand. That's what this album has, fantastic songwriting and structure. Very catchy hooks, and and overall scene of power you don't hear in popular Progressive Rock/Metal. I might even go as far to say that I prefer this to Fables...I'm not quite there yet, but right now they are dead even.

 

11.) Deafheaven- Roads To Judah

Four of the most perfectly crafted Post Rock/Black Metal songs ever made....especially for a debut album! And they have been scaring off Hipsters while being on tour with Russian Circles this year...another 10 points added to their awesomeness. haha. But seriously. This is EXACTLY what I'm looking for in the Post Rock and Black Metal worlds and Deafheaven combined them perfectly. Please do yourself a favor and get this album ASAP! You will be so glad that you did.



Coming up next time. 10-6!

[Jirpo]

Some more great stuff! I will have to check these out.

[JRundquist]

Thanks man! Glad you're digging it!

[Zantera]

I'm gonna post mine next week, technically there's still some left of 2011.

[Dark Castle]

1. Dark Castle - Surrender To All Life Beyond Form
2. Fuck The Facts - Die Miserable
3. Obscura - Omnivium
4. Mastodon - The Hunter
5. Devin Townsend - Deconstruction
6. Lady Gaga - Born This Way
7. Black Tusk - Set The Dial
8. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
9. Blue Ox - Stray Dogs On Pity Island
10. Decapitated - Carnival is Forever
11. Opeth - Heritage
12. Exhumed - No Guts No Glory
13. Indian - Guiltless
14. In Solitude - The World, The Flesh, The Devil
15. Rotten Sound - Cursed
16. Red Hot Chili Peppers - I'm With You
17. Revocation - Chaos of Forms
18. Skeletonwitch - Forever Abomination
19. Septic Flesh - The Great Mass
20. Unexpect - Fables of The Sleepless Empire
21. Children of Bodom - Relentless Reckless Forever
22. Autopsy - Macabre Eternal
23. Tombs - Path of Totality
24. Gridlink - Orphan
25. Deafheaven - Road to Judah

[Zydar]

Top 10 albums:

1. Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events
    Favourite song: "Breaking All Illusions"

2. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
    Favourite song: "Walk"

3. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
    Favourite song: "The Death of You And Me"

4. Yes - Fly From Here
    Favourite song: "We Can Fly"

5. Opeth - Heritage
    Favourite song: "Folklore"

6. Mastodon - The Hunter
    Favourite song: "Curl of the Burl"

7. Symphony X - Iconoclast
    Favourite song: "The End of Innocence"

8. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
    Favourite song: "Hurts like Heaven"

9. Kasabian - Velociraptor!
    Favourite song: "Days Are Forgotten"

10. Iced Earth - Dystopia
    Favourite song: "Anthem"

Top 5 songs:

1. Dream Theater - Breaking All Illusions
2. Foo Fighters - Walk
3. Opeth - Folklore
4. Kasabian - Days Are Forgotten
5. Mastodon - Curl of the Burl

[Fluffy Lothario]

I might do write-ups at some point, but here's my list at the moment:

1. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
2. Kimbra - Vows
3. Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials
4. Metallica and Lou Reed - Lulu
5. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

6. Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events
7. Tiki Taane - In the World of Light
8. Beirut - The Rip Tide
9. Machine Head - Unto the Locust
10. Bic Runga – Belle

There's quite a bit of stuff I still want to hear, but considering I normally only hear about two or three albums the year they come out, I actually made a big effort this year. The list is still a bit thin though. Both 9 and 10, I only listened to a few times, and wasn't into very much.

[BlobVanDam]

In no particular order-

Whitesnake - Forevermore
King Kobra - King Kobra
Rhapsody of Fire - From Chaos to Eternity
Scar Symmetry - The Unseen Empire
Steel Panther - Balls Out

ADTOE still deserves a mention for being a good album, but I'm not sure where it fits with the rest.

[Nel]

I have yet to hear three albums I really want to by Also Eden, Touchstone, and Theocracy, but I'll post my favorites without making it a top ten to make it fair.

Animals As Leaders - Weightless
Another solid release by this band. After a while, I don't think it's as strong as the debut, but I still enjoy putting it on
Favorite track: "An Infinite Regression"

Arch/Matheos - Sympathetic Resonance
A very good release. John Arch sounds amazing, though his voice gets a little grating sometimes, and sometimes it sounds like he's just singing the same things over and over, but on a good day I really like it.
Favorite track: "Any Given Day (Strangers Like Me)"

Between The Buried And Me - The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues
A great EP that satisfies my need for BTBAM while waiting for a new release. Love how it almost runs like one whole track.
Favorite track: "Lunar Wilderness"

Chevelle - Hats Off To The Bull
Just another solid album by one of my favorite bands.
Favorite track: "The Meddler"

The Decemberists - The King Is Dead
I really enjoyed the more folksy direction they went in with this one. I thought I wouldn't.
Favorite track: "Down by the Water"

Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events
This brought me out of my DT slump. Fantastic record. Everyone else has pretty much said everything I could say about this, though.
Favorite track: "Breaking All Illusions"

Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
With most FF albums I only like a few songs and don't really care about the rest. This one is different. Most of the songs on this record are awesome. Damn shame that a few have been so overplayed on the radio that i can't stand them anymore.
Favorite track: "Burning Bridge"

Foster The People - Torches
Just an all-around solid debut that I eventually warmed up to.
Favorite track: "Helena Beat"

Haken - Visions
I've been warming up to this one a lot lately. Not quite as good as the debut, but still a very high-quality output.
Favorite track: "Visions"

Journey - Eclipse
It's unusual that I like an album this much from a band this late into their career. The sound is a bit more aggressive, darker, but maintains Journey's trademark sound. And Arnel is really coming into his own here.
Favorite track: "Edge Of The Moment"

Scale The Summit - The Collective
This band just keeps improving. There's a bit more "atmosphere" to this release than the last one.
Favorite track: "Secret Earth"

The Strokes - Angles
This was actually my introduction to the band, and even after hearing the first three albums, I like this one the most. Just really catchy, poppy tunes.
Favorite track: "Metabolism"

Yes - Fly From Here
Awesome record. I already love Drama, and had seen the new singer live and known him from Mystery. I know that the suite is leftover Buggles stuff, but it's sooooo good. "Into The Storm" is awesome too with that "armies of angels" chorus.
Favorite track: "Fly From Here" (the whole suite)

Songs that deserve a mention even if I didn't find the album amazing:
Beardfish - "And The Stone Said 'If I Could Speak'"
Coldplay - "Princess Of China"
Cynic - "Carbon-Based Anatomy"
The Dear Hunter - Anything from Black or Red
Glass Hammer - "Nothing Box"
Kanye West & Jay-Z - "No Church In The Wild"
Karmakanic - "Can't Take It With You"
Korn - "Chaos Lives In Everything"
Lupe Fiasco - "Letting Go", "Words I Never Said"
My Morning Jacket - "Victory Dance", "Holdin' On To Black Metal"
Opeth - "The Devil's Orchard"
Panic! At The Disco - "The Ballad Of Mona Lisa"
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "The Adventures Of Raindance Maggie" (overplayed to hell, though)
Steven Wilson - "Deform To Form A Star", "Index"

Biggest Disappointment of 2011:
Incubus - If Not Now, When?
How about when you have some actual good songs to put out? Man that was frustrating to listen to.

Overall, good year musically.

[wolfking]

Yeah, the Incubus was absolutely terrible.  So disappointing.

I discovered a lot of music this year, but not a lot of music that was released this year.  As such, my list is pretty short.

1) Flaming Row - Elinoire.  It's criminal how unknown this is.  Absolutely incredible Prog Metal music.  Great collaboration of a lot of brilliant musicians, including Gary W from Shadow Gallery
2) Dream Theater - ADTOE.  Brilliant return.  Awesome balance between prog, and metal.
3) The Anabasis - Back From Being Gone.  See what Bosk and JR said.
4) Toby Hitchcock - Mercury's Down.  So nice to re-discover good amazing melodic rock.  I thought it had been mostly abandoned in the 90s.
5) The Magnificent - S/T.  As we all wait patiently (I can just see   raging) wait for Circus Maximus to record, it's nice to hear something from Michael Eriksen.
6) Work of Art - In Progress.  More with the Melodic Genre.

The last three are all from the label Frontier.  Nice set of artists they have there.

That's pretty much it for my 2011 finds.

Great to see Toby and Work of Art getting some more recognition, amazing melodic rock.  I still haven't ordered the Magnificant, but I will do it, if it's up there with the other two, I will be a happy man!!

[Mladen]

10. Peter, Bjorn & John - Gimme some
9. King Crimson ProjeKct - A Scarcity of miracles
8. Evergrey - Glorious colision
7. Megadeth - TH1RT3EN
6. Van der Graaf Generator - A Grounding in numbers
5. Yes - Fly from here
4. Radiohead - The King of limbs
3. They might be giants - Join us
2. Stratovarius - Elysium
1. Dream Theater - A Dramatic turn of events

It was a pretty good year. 

[Nekov]

Haken - Visions

I will do a special mention to this album as I think it's the best of 2011. I came to know Haken this year and listened to both releases. I don't think I had been this mind blown by a prog metal band since DT which is a lot to say for these guys. Visions is a more cohesive album than Aquarius but I think both of them stand on the same spot to me. This album has great intrumentation but not overly flashy, there's a great flow from one song to the other and I would be really hard pressed to find a weak spot. I love all of the songs in it. 10/10


Here are the other top 9 in no particular order. And yes, I am aware of the uber prog list I have.

Devin Townsend - Ghost
The Dear Hunter - The Color Spectrum (Complete Collection)
Karmakanic - In a Perfect World
Pendragon - Passion
Arena - The Seventh Degree of Separation
Black Country Communion - 2
Neal Morse - Testimony 2
Agents of Mercy - The Black Forest
Pagan's Mind - Heavenly Ecstacy

[YtseBitsySpider]

I don't like to rank them but here were my big SPINNERS of the year.

Pagan's Mind - Heavenly Ecstasy
Dream Theater - A Dramatic Grammy Winner
Symphony X - Iconoclast
Devil Driver - Beast
Death Angel  - Relentless Retribution
In Flames - Sounds of a Playground
Limp Bizkit - Gold Cobra
Machine Head - Unto The Locust
Pat Matheny - What's It All About
Redemption - This Mortal Coil
Scar Symmetry - Unseen Empire
The Crimson Armada - Conviction
Unearth - Darkness In The Light (highly recomend this one for the growler/scream-o fans)
August Burns Red - Leveler

[Kosmo]

10. Yes - Fly From here - Actually my introduction to Yes, and I like it.
9. Steven Wilson - A Grace for Drowning - Still getting familiar with it, and it gets better every time.
8. Fair to Midland - Arrows and Anchors - Cool beans.
7. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto - I like the music on this disc thing.
6. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues - Unique, pretty and creative.
5. Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction - oh dear my head is exploding so intense music
4. Haken - Visions - Haken delivers once again, stellar album.
3. Thrice - Major/Minor - Me gusta times infinity
2. Devin Townsend Project - Ghost - Easily one of the most beautiful albums ever by anyone.
1. The Dear Hunter - The Color Spectrum - oh god smile everywhere, EVERYWHERE

[kirksnosehair]

Whoa, thank you very much bosk1, Jrundquist and jingle.boy     It's really an honor to have my music mentioned in any of these lists. 

As for me, I think my favorites (in no particular order) this year were:

Arch/Matheos - "Sympathetic Resonance"
I did not expect to like this album so much, mostly because Arch's voice can sometimes annoy be, but he's aged well and I think he did a great job.  The guitar sound on this album is just monstrous and the riffs and songwriting are incredible. 

Redemption - "This Mortal Coil"
It took a while for it to grow on me, but I definitely enjoy this album quite a bit.  Doesn't quite match up to their last couple, but still very, very well done.

Dream Theater - "A Dramatic Turn of Events"
Best album they've released in a decade.  While the previous 4 album had moments of brilliance, they were also dotted with chucks of fail, particularly some of the lyrics on the most recent albums.  My expectations were very low going into this one, but Dream Theater managed to easily exceed them. 

Lost In Thought - "Opus Arise"
Awesome debut from a young band that shows a lot of promise.  Definitely borrowing quite heavily from the Dream Theater template of what progressive metal is, but not to the point where I'd call them a clone.  Some of the best vocals I've heard this year and stunning production values.

Eumeria - "Rebel Mind"
Another great debut album from another up and coming progressive metal outfit.  The vocalist has some serious pipes and the players are all exceptional.

Haken - "Visions"
Probably my new favorite progressive metal band.  Every time I listen to this album I am amazed by how quickly it goes by.


2011's Disappointments:

Symphony X - "Iconoclast"
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....riff, riff, gargle with glass vocals, riff, riff.....goofy, juvenile lyrics, riff, riff.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Opeth - "Heritage"
Could have been better by either changing the running order of the tracks or just doing less of that sort of free-jazz stuff.....too big of a long slow mellow bottomless pit of boredom in the middle of the album, which is too bad because there are some moments of brilliance sprinkled throughout especially the beginning and the last few tracks.

[yorost]

Journey - Eclipse
It's unusual that I like an album this much from a band this late into their career. The sound is a bit more aggressive, darker, but maintains Journey's trademark sound. And Arnel is really coming into his own here.
Favorite track: "Edge Of The Moment"

Eclipse was a very pleasant surprise.

[ZKX-2099]

9. Opeth - Heritage - This album was just good enough to make me not completely forget about Opeth. There's some good parts here and there but overall... fuck Heritage.

8. Lou Reed/Metallica - Lulu - Not sure why but I enjoyed taking this album in... like a colored mans dick.

7. The Devin Townsend Project - Ghost - I really didn't expect to care much for this, but there are quite a few great bits. Looking forward to letting this sink in more in the future.

6. Mastodon - The Hunter - Not as good as CTS, but very solid. Like the Brann vocal songs.

5. Thomas Giles - Pulse - Very fun album. Surprised me with how much it all clicked with me.

4. Between The Buried & Me - The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues - Yeah it's an EP, but no fucks given. Specular Reflection is a top 10 all time song for me now.

3. Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn Of Events - I love the album... just not as much as I hoped I would have. Some where in the middle when compared to other DT releases.

1 & 2. The Devin Townsend Project - Deconstruction - Oh my god I have never heard more properly done insane music in my life. Top 3 album for me. Exceeded all expectations.

Top 5 songs.

1. DTP - Deconstruction - I want this song played at my funeral.
2. BTBAM - Spceular Reflection - The paint on the skip back a track button is worn out because this song.
3. DT - LNF - Dat unison...
4. A7X - Not Ready To Die - Much better than what I would have expected from a song made for a video game. Sad to hear the first official "post-Rev" song.
5. Mastodon - Dry Bone Valley - Sold, fun, quick song.

[jingle.boy]

Whoa, thank you very much bosk1, Jrundquist and jingle.boy     It's really an honor to have my music mentioned in any of these lists. 

You're very welcome.  It's great stuff.

Eumeria - "Rebel Mind"
Another great debut album from another up and coming progressive metal outfit.  The vocalist has some serious pipes and the players are all exceptional.

I just had a few listens to this as of last week.  I like, but I find they are trying TOO hard to be progressive.  Their time changes are all over the place.  I dunno, maybe I'll get used to it with a few more listens, but it sounds (at times) very disorganized and cumbersome.  But you're right, killer pipes, and tons of talent.

[rogerdil]

Pendragon - Passion
Nemo - Révolu$ion
Yuka & Chronoship - Water Reincarnation

[njdtfan]

Well MP just posted his:

https://www.mikeportnoy.com/forum/tm.aspx?high&m=2735040&mpage=1#2735040

[njdtfan]

1) Dream Theater-ADTOE
2) Neal Morse-Testimony 2
3) Devin Twonsend-Deconstruction
4) Red-Until We Have Faces
5) Fair to Midland-Arrows & Anchors
6) Theocracy-As The World Bleeds
7)Redemption-This Mortal Coil
8) Arch & Matheos-Sympatheitic Resonance
9) Steven Wilson-Grace For Drwoning
10)The Anabasis - Back From Being Gone

[skydivingninja]

Well MP just posted his:

https://www.mikeportnoy.com/forum/tm.aspx?high&m=2735040&mpage=1#2735040

Cool to see that he likes the Dear Hunter, I guess.  The other stuff seems standard fare for him.

[Lowdz]

1. ADTOE




2. Night Ranger- Somewhere In California
3. Steel Panther- Balls Out
4. Myrath- Tales Of The Sands
5. Redemption- This Mortal coil
6. Beggars And Thieves- We Are The Broken Hearted
7. chickenfoot- III
8. Mecca- Undeniable
9. Eumeria- Rebel mind
10. Within Temptation- The Unforgiving

[wolfking]

Lowdz, The Night Ranger was pretty good, but I still need to spin it more.  The Mecca sounds good, I've been meaning to get that also.  B&T must be good to be in your list already!